The Chronicles of Heaven's War: Burning Phoenix (15 page)

“All right! All right!” Mihai growled. “I
will give you a few minutes. Now tell me where my gloves have been
hidden!”

Mihai’s actions were drawing attention of
passersby as well as several of the work crew. Trisha gently but
firmly took Mihai’s arm. “Come along then, please, to a more
private spot. Too many are the innocent ears listening. My queries
are for my king’s ears only.” With that, she tugged on Mihai to
follow along.

After several paces, Mihai stopped up short,
demanding, “Enough of this folly! Tell me where my gloves are!”

Trisha looked deeply into Mihai’s angry
eyes, her dark, opaque orbs hiding all emotion. “My Lord, when we
have reached the place for moot… Do not be concerned, it is not out
of sight of the ships and crews. There are guards at the ready
should you fear my loyalty and want to call for their
assistance.”

Mihai did fear Trisha’s loyalty, not in a
treacherous way, but in possibly being a clumsy oaf. She was
concerned about the upcoming Prisoner Exchange and the part Trisha
was to play in it. Mother had put her in such a difficult spot by
making Trisha the field marshal, the chief steward, second in
command next to the king, thus making her the upcoming archon.

What was Mihai to do? This
Trisha
creature
could not be trusted with such tremendous
responsibilities. One little blunder, one slip of protocol, and all
might be lost. The very lives of all the prisoners rested in the
hands of this untested, uncaring ignoramus. The woman had never
been to any formal parley with the enemy. Why, she had not even
personally met Asotos! Mihai must do something, but what?

“Lead the way.” Mihai harrumphed. “But only
a few minutes... Some of us have
important matters
to
conclude and little time for childish travesties.”

Ignoring the cutting remarks, Trisha
motioned, “This way, my Lord.” Together, the two walked toward the
edge of the camp and past the guards until they were some distance
out of hearing range.

Releasing Mihai’s arm, Trisha turned to face
her, respectfully requesting, “A word, my Lord.”

Mihai’s response was instant and resentful.
“Tell me now! Where are my gloves?! I’ve played your little game
long enough. Answer me! What have you done with them?!”

Trisha’s tone changed. Though respectful,
her words were blunt and direct. “Point the accusing finger at
yourself and stop playing the pious one. Your belt hides the
treasures that you seek.” Mihai’s angry glare turned to dumbfounded
shock as she glanced to her side. “How…? When…?” She stuttered.
Then shaking her head, she cried,
“This is not
possible!”

Placing her fists on her hips, Trisha leaned
forward, looking up into Mihai’s face, mildly chiding, “This is the
third time you have troubled us with those damn gloves, and each
time they were found on your belt. Four times breakfast has been
delivered to you, only for you to go off in a fussing rant over
some unfinished assignment. Your poor horse has been saddled three
times, at your request, the grooms no sooner done than for them to
be ordered to remove the saddle to curry the beast again.”

She shook a finger in Mihai’s very surprised
face. “You have disturbed the entire camp, troubled my officers
with petty demands and silly, yeomanly orders, and driven everyone
to distraction.
Get a grip on yourself!”

Clenching her fists as her face reddened in
growing rage, Mihai angrily rebuffed Trisha. “The prattle of
chatterers should be saved for wasted moments of meaningless
leisure! Be off with you now! Go talk to the squawking jaybirds.
I’ve no time for a mindless cuckoo!”

Trisha’s cold, black eyes bored into
Mihai’s, her expressionless face unflinching, but her reply was
icy. “I don’t waste your time with trivial matters. The future
success of our mission rests upon decisions made and executed. You
have not been acting in a responsible manner. This…”

Mihai seethed, shouting in Trisha’s face.
“You stay out of my business, you! I’ve more important matters to
attend to than to listen to a
piss-wart from forgotten lands
preach to me about my world! I should have replaced you that night
at the Council, after watching your abusive tantrum. What do you
know about…?”

Trisha reached out and grabbed hold of
Mihai’s jacket, shoving her face up close, snarling fiercely,
“Now listen up, you goddamn fool! All Hell can wait on us today!
It does wait on us! It waits on
you
!”

Taking a step forward while pushing Mihai
back, Trisha verbally accosted her. “One builds the fire with the
fuel at hand. Well! All you’ve got is
this miserable
piss-wart!
Now shut up and listen. You’ve set this universe
ablaze by your very existence, burned it all to Hell. Now it rages
all around you and you blame everyone else for the flaming
conflagration. Goddamn it, Michael, this day is far bigger than
you! Way bigger than you...” Trisha released Mihai and turned away,
lamenting, “Damn it all! It’s bigger than all of us...”

Spinning around, she shook her finger in the
face of her stunned speechless adversary. “The very history of our
worlds pivots on coming events. God! Our very future will be
measured by the outcome of this day! Woman, if you foul things up…
for any reason… you will not only destroy the very ones you have
come to save, but you’ll bring to ruin everything that exists, has
ever existed! You screw things up today and even Sirion will curse
you, should she live that long.”

By now Mihai had regained her voice,
unleashing a scathing rebuke. “You are more stupid than the women
who followed Asotos, believing he could still give them the love he
once did! Do you really think that I am not fully aware of the
dangers facing us this day? It is you I fear more than the
talking dishrags
we must face at the Prisoner Exchange. You
impious, impulsive miscreant! How Mother allowed your rebirth here,
other than to test us out, I do not know!”

Trisha shot back, poking Mihai in the chest.
“Who’s the little fool?! You! You still love the man who destroyed
you! You want his favor, his acceptance! You still want his bed, to
reawake all those
fond
memories from long ago. Your mother
has given you lovers, but you treat them like little children with
big cocks, something for your night pleasures, but unfit for your
confidence. Romance the women to satisfy your heart, if you must.
Not all of them love you, but only sell you such sweet delights for
the price of stealing your dreams!”

Mihai was furious. She slapped Trisha a
stinging blow across her face, bloodying the woman’s lip. “
So
the bitch-child calls the mistress a whore-chaser?!
Worthless shit-weed, despoiler of all good things in this world,
usurper of underserved power.
..
you steal for yourself the
very heart and soul of our favorite son by binding him with
bewitching potions so that he can see only you even in his
dreams!
And you call
me
a whore?! Go back to the ashes
from which you came…and that’s even too good for you!”

Trisha took a hand and clutched hold of
Mihai’s blouse with an iron grip, yanking her forward until their
faces nearly touched, unleashing a torrent of vile rebukes, the
woman’s bloody spittle spattering Mihai’s face. “I’d rather be
returned to the dust, or even delivered to Gehenna, than this
hellhole your kind has created! Never did I ask to be here, and
given the choice, I’d leave… leave you all to your
righteous
self-pity! But now I’m here, stuck here! And now my kind has to
bail your sick asses out of the mess you got yourselves into! I’ve
a job to do, like it or not, and you’re not getting in my way. I’ll
take you down, and anyone else if necessary, if you give me
trouble!”

She violently shook Mihai, nearly ripping
her blouse. “Now you listen, and listen good! I’ll do whatever it
takes to accomplish our quest! Anything! You mourn the absence of
your Lady, being stuck with this far inferior
shit-weed
.
Well this
shit-weed
is here and there’s nothing you can do
about it! Fool!” Trisha angrily sputtered. “Don’t you see? You were
set up! Set up by the man your heart still seeks acceptance from.
Asotos raised the threat level to the colonies, thus forcing you to
abandon the fleet to none other than your most qualified officer,
Gabrielle. Now you’re stuck with this
shit-weed
to act as
archon. Oh, what a pity! As if someone in your frame of mind could
do better. What are you willing to offer him to win his favor this
day? He wants your soul. Will you give it to him?”

Mihai pushed herself away, wiping her face
with the back of her hand. She paused to compose herself and then
scolded Trisha in bitter rebuff. “What Mother saw in you, I don’t
know! You’re unfit to be a gutter waif, let alone a field marshal.
You will not be my archon this day, I promise you that! Better the
desert rat than you! Now be off! I’ve no more time to waste with
the likes of you!”

Trisha took a step forward, glowering as she
caustically replied, “You have no authority over me! My appointment
was authorized by Lowenah and through the Council, at you very
request. By your own mouth, you are bound by all the powers given
me.” She grinned ruefully. “I stand guard over your wretched soul,
sworn by oath to protect it as I see fit!” She stepped back,
glancing toward the ground. “I am the fuel delivered you to build
whatever fire you can. Lowenah will not provide you with any
other.” She looked back into Mihai’s face, wearing a sneering
smile.
“You’re stuck with me!”

Mihai was stunned. Who was this miserable
little creature to tell
the king
what could and could not be
done?! With haughty rebuff, she shot back, “Then I will not use you
at all! I have a large enough army with me, and… and several
outstanding and trusted officers to do my bidding. I’ll build my
inferno with them!”

Leaning forward into Mihai’s face, Trisha
shook a finger, hissing,
“You have no army!”

Mihai fell back as if receiving a blow.
Trisha followed her in. “By your very own command, you demanded an
oath of fealty from all your kindred to give their allegiance to
me.
To me
!
Do not play the fool and attempt a coup
this day. Should you try, you will fail, and all your world will be
damned forever more!”

Mihai’s face turned white as she clenched
her fists in a shaking rage. All she wanted to do was smash this,
this, detestable
thing
, and rid herself of it. What a putrid
little creature… But Trisha was correct. Mihai could not risk a
rupture in the company’s loyalty, not now, not at such a tenuous
moment. She pondered the situation. There was one, - no two -
faithful companions she could trust for their unflinching
allegiance. She wasn’t defeated yet.

Regaining her composure, she glared aloof at
Trisha, politely snarling, “You play your little game for now. When
we return, I will take this matter up with the Council. In the
meantime, I would kindly like you to remove your
carcass
from my ship, it only a fitting place for
qualified
officers. I do have the authority to demand that, don’t I?”

Trisha silently nodded.

“Good!” Mihai replied condescendingly. “May
I suggest that you ship aboard one of our
animal
transports
for the return trip? I believe the accommodations will suit your
admirable qualities better. You may even find some use for your
talents there, seeing you once were a camel maiden and gatherer of
dung chips.”

Trisha bowed her head. “Yes my Lord, that I
will do.”

“Good!” Mihai waved a rebuff and stormed
away, leaving Trisha standing there, silently watching her go.

Other eyes watched, hidden from sight by
distant rocks. An angry voice quietly cursed the woman standing
there. “It reeks with evil malice! Why do the others not see? Die
it must…”

The sound of a blade being pulled from is
scabbard was interrupted by the camp horns calling an assemblage of
the company. The voice cursed softly as the sword was returned to
its resting place. “Another time… Another time...” it hissed as it
slunk back into the shadows.

Trisha sighed, tears beginning to fall as
she leaned back against a boulder. Her heart breaking in anguish,
the tears became a torrent and the woman began to weep
uncontrollably. Why, oh why, must it be this way? She loved Mihai
so much. Every statement, every word she had accosted the woman
with was a stabbing blow to her own heart. But what else was there
for it? Mihai must face the Great Dragon this day, the anniversary
of her attempted murder by the man. His powers were tremendous, and
Mihai’s so diminished. At least, for the moment she would not be
thinking of him, dreading her encounter with him this day. Now
Mihai had someone new to hate, fear, feel contempt for.

The horns blew again. Trisha slowly began to
make her way back to camp, tears still running in rivers. She had
done what a good soldier does, no matter the cost. She was a good
soldier, wasn’t she? For a moment, doubt swept around in her head.
Yes! Yes, she was. Like a caring mother will sacrifice everything
for her troubled child, a good warrior will give no heed to the
danger to self and sacrifice everything for the betterment of the
others. She was a good soldier.

A sudden rush of loneliness swept over her.
She had not intentionally stolen Zadar from the others, but she did
want to possess him, share him with no one. She shook her head.
Still, she held no malice toward anyone, and had requested Zadar
not to surrender his heart to only her. Zadar was a free man, but
wasn’t she a free woman, one with a heart that burned with lonely
desire? She was not a whore, never had been. All she ever wanted
was to be loved, just a little selfish love. Was she being a whore
just wishing to seek love?